Tourist boat drone crash sparks medical episode

A passenger was injured and another suffered a medical episode after a drone crashed into a pleasure cruiser, according to the boat's skipper.

Peter Richardson said the Yorkshire Belle was heading out of Bridlington Harbour on a cruise to Bempton Cliffs on Saturday when the drone suddenly appeared and crashed into a mast stay before falling and hitting a man on the forehead, causing "a big gash".

He said the noise from the drone as it continued "spinning" on the deck also triggered an epileptic fit in another passenger, who was later taken to hospital.

Richardson urged anyone flying a drone to keep a safe distance away from vessels.

Following the incident, Richardson said crew members "patched up" the passenger's head injury and returned to harbour for the other passenger to receive treatment.

He said the drone pilot had been waiting for the boat to recover his equipment, which he claimed had suffered a malfunction.

However, Richardson believed the ship's radar could cause interference with the drone's navigation if it flew too close.

He added: "You don't go out on a boat and expect a drone to drop on your head."

He said they later resumed the trip, with the injured passenger continuing on board, but it was about 90 minutes late, which disrupted the rest of the day's programme.

"We lost one trip because of it, which had a lot of people booked on it, so it cost us quite a lot of money," he added.

However, he said the main priority was the safety of passengers and crew.

According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), drones should not be flown closer than 50m to people, including in cars, lorries, trains and boats, except when they are directly involved in what your are doing.

Even then, drone pilots should never put anyone in danger.

More information is available on the CAA's website.

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